The 1940 Nash Ambassador Eight Special Cabriolet, with a dash of continental flair

We're nestled under the dark, snug confines of one of the sleekest convertible tops you'll ever see, as the whipped-cream-smooth Nash straight-eight hustles us along a tree-lined Virginia road. The white rail fences of the horse pastures blur as we burble along in third, the exhaust cutout adding a raspy edge to the murmur of the eight. The leather-and-cloth seat cushions sit a bit low, and our viewpoint merely magnifies the length of the narrow, unadorned prow as it slices through the cool autumn air. Very little movement of the big, white-rimmed steering wheel is needed to keep the big car on track, and the supple suspension quietly mops up imperfections in the pavement. The only view of what we're leaving in our wake is out the mail slot of a back window; the enveloping top and the absence of outside mirrors - which would, after all, spoil the car's lines - create blind spots big enough to hide a fleet of tractor-trailers.

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WeThis is driving pleasure for "those few discriminating people who appreciate fine things," 1940 style. If mundane considerations like a view to the rear have to be sacrificed on the altar of beauty, well, so what? No one is complaining. No one possibly could. Not when they were riding in one of Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky's exquisite creations.
The Nash special 4081 cabriolet is the sort of a car to make you see Nash in an entirely new light - which was exactly the point. Nash had rebounded smartly from the painful recession of 1938 to produce 49,312 cars in the 1939 model year, but had still lost money, and sales of senior series Ambassadors remained soft. Though the flagship Ambassador Eight already boasted handsome lines and one of the great straight-eights of all time, president George W. Mason clearly felt that a limited edition would help draw the public's attention. And we do mean limited. Just 20 Ambassador cabriolets, stunningly beautiful in their own right, would be plucked from Kenosha's assembly lines for transformation into factory customs. But even that was an overreach: Just 11 examples were sold, and the rest converted back to standard cabriolets. Three are known to exist today. All are Classics, recognized as such by the Classic Car Club of America.
But we're getting ahead of the story. Because it's impossible to believe that this car for the lucky, elite few would have existed if not for the Russian revolution of 1917. Alexis de Sakhnoffsky was a teenager when his father, a count and counselor to the murdered Czar Nicholas II, poisoned himself; spirited away to France by an aunt, the son studied engineering in Switzerland until financial necessity led him to take a job with coachbuilder Vanden Plas in Belgium. His finely-tuned aesthetic sense and enthusiasm for automobiles eventually won him the role of art director, and his creations on some of the most exclusive chassis of the day - Hispano-Suiza, Isotta-Fraschini, Packard and more - soon earned him prominence and admiration across Europe.
De Sakhnoffsky's spreading renown brought him two job offers from the U.S. The first, a six-month contract put forward by General Motors, he rejected. The second, from the Hayes Body Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan, came tied to a two-year immigration permit, something too good to turn down for a young man who had dreamed of living in America. He arrived on the liner Leviathan in 1928 and got to work, designing the 1930 model 78 for Marmon, the diminutive American Austin and the Peerless line for 1930. When Ray Dietrich left Packard in 1931, director of styling Edward Macauley brought the count in as a consultant, a collaboration that culminated in the best-in-show award at the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago.
It was then that Nash and de Sakhnoffsky first crossed paths. "From about 1930 onward Alexis was a frequent visitor to Nash Motors' engineering department," said Ralph Marontate, publisher of a newsletter dealing with the 1939 and 1940 Nash cars. "His talent influenced the design of the 1933 Nash. That department was headed by Chief Engineer Nils Wahlberg, who joined Nash Motors in 1919. Wahlberg was a brilliant engineer who controlled styling of Nash Cars up to the mid 1930's. Nils felt threatened by de Sakhnoffsky's advanced styling ideas."
De Sakhnoffsky's pencil went into overdrive as the 1930s wore on, designing table radios, furniture, coffee pots, bicycles, streamlined beer trucks, boats, pedal cars and more - an output that even the prolific Raymond Loewy would be proud to call his own. Meanwhile, Nash had taken car design away from its engineers, hiring two rival freelance design consultants, George M. Walker and Don Mortrude, to work together in its new styling department. "Charles Nash felt that the engineering department should not be tasked with future car styling as they were out of touch with current automobile styling trends," Marontate explained. Their design for the 1939 line, largely attributed to Mortrude, was exceptionally handsome, with its narrow, La Salle-influenced central grille, broad catwalk grilles and headlamps skillfully integrated into the fenders.
According to Montrude, de Sakhnoffsky's previous interlude at Nash had created difficulties for the new design team. "Sakhnoffsky was in there making drawings for Nash long before we came into the picture," he told automotive historian Michael Lamm in a 1972 interview. "He made all kinds of fancy drawings right there in front of Wahlberg, and Wahlberg's eyes were bugging. Alex was just giving him the old Sakhnoffsky show, and then when Nash tried to build the stuff from just perspective illustrations - pencil on black paper - they had a helluva time trying to transpose it into reality. So by the time Walker and I got there, those fellows at Nash were real gun-shy of stylists."
That might help to explain why, when de Sakhnoffsky got the call to design a limited-production convertible for 1940, his brief was not to pen an entirely new design, but to modify Mortrude and Walker's work, and to be frugal while he was at it. George Mason had not steered Nash through the recession of 1938 by squandering large amounts of money on special projects, and he was not going to start now. Besides, Nash's resources were committed to something that would ultimately have a greater impact on the company's future, the unit-body cars of 1941.
Though he was hemmed in by circumstance, de Sakhnoffsky took command of the project, masterfully creating a continental look for the Ambassador through a minimum of changes. He stripped the car nearly bare of chrome, ripping off moldings, Nash badges, external door handles and mirrors, and even exiled the hood ornament. Doors were cut down, the windshield was scrapped for a low, split screen that might have been plucked off a Cord 810 Phaeton, runningboards were discarded, and the rear fenders were dressed with full skirts. Lowered on its springs, the de Sakhnoffsky cabriolet was billed as the lowest production car in America, at 52 inches - although that may have been more adman's dream than reality. Reggie Nash, who owns our feature car, reports that the car actually measures 62 inches from the ground to the highest bow of the convertible top, exactly the same as a Lincoln Continental owned by his friend. In any case, it certainly looks lower than the standard cabriolet. As de Sakhnoffsky once observed, "What fun is there to own a motorcar capable of 150 mph if it looks as boxy as a hearse?"
The interior was upholstered with supple leather and whipcord cloth upholstery, with more leather capping the doors. A tachometer was attached to the steering column, and a white finish was applied to the Tenite plastic housings for the instruments, clock and regulator for Nash's advanced "Weather Eye" ventilation system. Each bore an engraved dashboard plaque bearing the buyer's name. According to factory documents, cars could be ordered with brightwork in chrome or a copper plating that resembled gold; chrome cars received chrome-plated shift and handbrake levers, too. For such a limited production, the variations were many; Nash initially specified five cars with red leather and chrome, five with tan leather and copper, five with red leather and copper, and five with blue leather and chrome. Nash's Seaman Body Plant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin did a portion of the bodywork, sending the bodies to Kenosha for assembly, and then on to the United Body Company in Chicago for custom work. The cars were then returned to Kenosha for distribution.The de Sakhnoffsky cabriolets were fully optioned, with the Weather Eye system, white sidewall Goodyear tires, an exhaust pipe extension, back-up lamps, a clock, a special rear axle ratio, and "Cruising Gear," Nash's overdrive on second and third. The powerplant needed no upgrading; Nash's excellent 260.8-cu.in., ohv straight-eight made 115 hp and 200-lbs.ft. of torque, and could run all day without a hiccup. Nash boasted that it was one of two manufacturers - the other being Rolls-Royce - that offered twin ignition, and that its eight was one of three engines to cradle its crankshaft in nine main bearings. The others? The Packard Super 8, Studebaker 8, and Cadillac V-16. It was claimed that the special cabriolet was faster than the standard car, thanks to a weight savings of 150 pounds.Nash memos called the car simply the "special 4081 cabriolet," but it apparently also was referred to as the Playcar. In April 1940, the cars began appearing in Nash showrooms in Boston, New York, and other big markets. Mailings invited the general public to "special showings" of "America's most brilliant sports car." No one knows the car's list price for certain. A public relations assistant, responding to a query in 1954, could only offer, "Apparently the price was rather high because of the unsatisfactory sales record." The unattributed figure of $5,000 is often quoted, a huge sum for the day. Even the standard 1940 Ambassador Eight cabriolet, priced at $1,295, found just 93 buyers.
The names of those 11 original owners have been lost to history, but one car found its way into the collection of a Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, car dealer named Allen Bittner in the early 1950s. "I remember that car very well, because it was like a Darrin Packard," Allen told us recently. "I owned that car for almost 20 years, but I knew it was rare so I didn't sell it for a long time. I always liked it a lot. I bought it when it wasn't worth much money."
In 1970, Allen decided to sell the car, and placed an ad in Hemmings Motor News just before the Hershey meet. His ad caught the attention of Reggie Nash, a Richmond, Virginia, painting contractor and Hershey regular. Reggie, whose interest in older cars goes back to his teen years, quite naturally collects the cars from Kenosha, although he has no idea if he and Charles Nash share a family tree. "A friend of mine named Warren Malone said, 'You ought to have this car. You know, they didn't make many of them,' " he recalled. He negotiated a price of $2,500 over the phone - "at that time, nobody was interested in Nashes," he explained - and arranged to make payment and collect the car at Hershey.
Reggie cleaned the sludge out of the engine, bought a new set of tires and evaluated his purchase. "It was in decent shape; it was an older restoration. The paint wasn't the best in the world, and the upholstery was old, and the top was old. I drove it for probably 10 years." After that, the car lay in storage for another 15 years, until Reggie one day "just pulled it out and decided to fix it up."
He has since shown the car at the Eastern Nashional meet of the Nash Car Club of America in New Stanton, Pennsylvania, and twice at AACA meets, where it won a first junior on its first showing, and a first senior on its second. Since then, Reggie has been invited to bring the car to the prestigious Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in March, 2007. A de Sakhnoffsky cabriolet on the lush greens of the Ritz-Carlton? Somehow, we're sure the count would approve.
The Restoration
When the de Sakhnoffsky cabriolet rolled into his Richmond, Virginia, restoration shop, "it was pretty typical - it had rust, and it had accident damage," said Randy Green. It took five years to get the Nash back to show condition. Randy did all of the work but the interior, which was done by R&W's Auto Tops and Glass of Petersburg, Virginia. Machine work on the straight-eight engine was handled by the local NAPA franchise. Though the car was largely complete, Randy said the restoration would have been far more difficult if Reggie had not been able to collect so much original literature about this unusual car. "Nothing on it was as it should have been," he said.
PHOTO 1
The body tub was removed from the frame, but not before stout bracing was installed across the door openings
PHOTO 2
New steel panels replaced rusted metal on the lower part of the body, while trim clip holes were filled when the car was new
PHOTO 3
New sills were custom fabricated then MIG welded into position. Rusty areas of the floor have not yet been cut away
PHOTO 4
After the metal work was completed, several coats of PPG primer and PPG Concept single-stage urethane enamel were applied
Owner's View
When he was a high school student, it was easy to spot Reggie Nash's car in the parking lot - it was the oldest one there. "I started when I was 16, and I bought a 1930 Chevy," Reggie said. Naturally, he was intrigued by the idea of owning the car with which he shared a name, and bought his first Nash, a 1922 Sport Touring, in 1967. He still has that car, in addition to four other Nashes, two Ramblers, and a variety of other interesting and beautiful cars. Why appealed to him about the 1940 special cabriolet?
"I am a car nut extraordinaire, it had the same name as me, I had the $2,500 sale price, and evidently no one else was pursuing the car," he said. "My friend Warren Malone called and said, "Hey, did you see that '40 Nash in Hemmings Motor News? That's a car you should have!" "Yeah, that's a neat car, but where am I going to put it?" "Just get the car, we'll find a place." With all of this encouragement I made a call to Mr. Bittner and arranged to look at and buy the car a few days before Hershey. The price was firm, but I wanted to see the car. I had the option of turning down the deal if it wasn't what I expected. I took one look at the '40 Nash and knew I had to have it. I loved the looks of the car with no runningboards, no side or hood bright work, cut down doors, the lowered windshield and top and the body lowered on the frame. It looked so low, racy, clean and fast. I needed this car!"
PROS:
Incredible exclusivity
Makes anyone look like a Hollywood star
Loaded with every option Nash could think of
CONS:
Not a good choice for shy, retiring types
Might want to lower the top before you back up
Side curtains and no outside latches, just like an MG
Club Scene
Nash Car Club of America
1N274 Prairie
Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137
630-469-5848www.nashcarclub.org
Dues: $30/year; Membership: 1,700
SPECIFICATIONS
1940 Nash Ambassador Special
Base price Unknown; $5,000 frequently quoted
ENGINE
Type: OHV straight-eight
Bore x Stroke: 3.125 x 4.25 inches
Displacement: 260.8 cu.in.
Compression ratio: 6.0:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 115 @ 3,400
Torque @ rpm: 200-lbs.ft. @ 1,600
Valvetrain: Mechanical lifters
Main bearings: 9
Fuel system: Single Carter WDO two-barrel carburetor
Electrical system: 6-volt
Exhaust system: Single, with cutout
TRANSMISSION
Type: Three-speed manual, column-mounted lever, overdrive
Ratios: 1st 2.57:1
2nd: 1.55:1
3rd: 1.00:1
Overdrive: 0.72:1
Reverse: 3.48:1
DIFFERENTIAL
Type: Hypoid, spiral bevel gears
Ratio: 4.1:1
Drive axles: Semi-floating
STEERING
Type: Gemmer worm and roller
Ratio: 20.3:1
Turns, lock-to-lock: 4.25
Turning circle: 40 feet
BRAKES
Type: Four wheel drums, hydraulically operated
Front/rear: 11 inches
Total swept area: 216 square inches
CHASSIS & BODY
Construction: XK frame with box section side rails
Body style: Two-door, five-passenger convertible
Layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
SUSPENSION
Front: Independent, coil springs, anti-roll bar, lever shock absorbers
Rear: Rigid axle, ten-leaf semi-elliptic springs, tubular shock absorbers
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: Pressed steel
Front/rear: 15 x 5 inches
Tires: Goodyear DeLuxe 6-ply white sidewalls
Front/rear: 15 x 7 inches
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Wheelbase: 125 inches
Overall length: 207.19 inches
Overall width: 74.34 inches
Overall height: 62 inches
Front track: 57.69 inches
Rear track: 61.38 inches
Ground clearance: 7.25 inches
Curb weight: 3,975 pounds
CAPACITIES
Crankcase: 7 quarts
Cooling system: 18.5 quarts
Fuel tank: 20 gallons
Differential: 5 pints
CALCULATED DATA
Bhp per c.i.d.: 0.44
Weight per bhp: 34.56 pounds
Weight per c.i.d.: 15.24 pounds
PRODUCTION
Twenty de Sakhnoffsky cabriolets were built; of those, nine were returned to standard configuration

This article originally appeared in the March, 2007 issue of Hemmings Classic Car.